Two Seattle Mariners minor leaguers named to World team for 2015 Futures Game

Seattle Mariners fans have an opportunity to see the future, or at least part of it, on July 13.

Shortstop Ketel Marte of Triple-A Tacoma and starting pitcher Edwin Diaz of Double-A Jackson were named to the World team of the 2015 All-Star Futures Game at Great American Ballpark, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Ketel Marte plays shortstop during a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at the Peoria Sports Complex on March 11, 2015 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images)

Marte is the more intriguing of the two, as he may be at Safeco Field later this season. A switch-hitting middle infielder from Nizao, Dominican Republic, Marte is one of the best hitters in the Pacific Coast League, hitting .343 — good for third in the PCL — with 10 doubles and 24 RBIs.

Against lefties, Marte knocks the ball for a .365 average. From the left side, he hits .333 against right-handed pitchers.

Marte hasn’t played since May 31 as a result of a broken thumb. The (Tacoma) News Tribune’s Bob Dutton first reported Marte would miss six weeks of action.

Marte also improved on the basepaths and with his glove this season. Out of 20 total attempts, he has stolen 17 bases in 51 games. (For reference, Austin Jackson leads the Mariners with 7 total steals in 52 games.) Defensively, Marte has played the majority of his games (39) at shortstop with a .955 fielding percentage.

Major League Baseball’s “Prospect Watch” ranks Marte as the Mariners third-best prospect, behind Alex Jackson and D.J. Peterson, with an estimated major league arrival in 2016.

The right-handed Diaz, a third-round draft pick (No. 98 overall) in the 2012 Amateur Draft, packs just 165 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame, but his running fastball still reaches the high 90s.

Diaz was called up to Jackson after seven starts at the Advanced-A level in Bakersfield after going 2-0 with 1.70 ERA to begin the season. The Naguabo, Puerto Rico native is 2-4 with a 4.97 ERA in Double-A.

Diaz’s arsenal features a young slider and respectable changeup that both play off the fastball. An MLB scout says his slider could be an “above-average pitch,” but an inconsistent release point diminishes its movement at times.